Boston Bruins bid farewell until the fall

Associated PressBruins forward Brad Marchand speaks to reporters in the Boston locker room during breakup day Friday at the TD Garden.

BOSTON – Breaking up the Boston Bruins.

Last year’s locker clean-out was just one part of a long, happy Stanley Cup celebration.

Friday, it was more like a hangover.

Or maybe a punch in the gut.

Either way, the Bruins grabbed their sticks and said their TD Garden good-byes for what will be their longest offseason in four years, two days after suffering a first-round playoff knockout by the Washington Capitals.

“It’s definitely a completely different mood,” said left wing Brad Marchand. “Last year, we came in here still having a good time, and enjoying the (Cup). This year, we obviously are not happy with the outcome. It’s definitely not as enjoyable.”

Defenseman Andrew Ference echoed the sentiment.

“It’s rare that you get to be really happy at the end of the year,” Ference said. “The thing about this year, now, you know all those things that you’re missing. Especially when winning becomes a reality. You know that you can’t do it again.”

Ference said that even though the bruising Washington series – which saw every game decided by one goal – went the full seven-game distance, the possibility that the Bruins would actually be eliminated by the Capitals never occurred to him.

“I had no thoughts of losing,” he said. “I had no preparations for not being involved in the playoffs, because I believed that we were going to win. That’s just the way it is. We had the team that could do it, and the personnel that could do it. The thought of losing never crossed my mind.”

An early and unceremonious exit always makes for some easy second-guessing. For the Bruins, the wouldas and shouldas revolve largely around their fangless power play.

Boston went 2 -for 23 with the man advantage, although that actually was two goals better than they what they scored (zero) in last year’s first-round set with Montreal, which sent the Bruins on their way to the Cup.

“You always think about what you could have done differently,” said center David Krejci. “Especially when you go home and try to fall asleep. One goal could have made a difference. It’s still fresh. It’s still in your head. There are so many mixed emotions. It’s still hard to think that it’s over. But it is what it is.”

Krejci, who mustered one goal (on a power play) and two assists against the Caps, took his share of the responsibility for failing to thwart Washington’s penalty killers.

“We tried to break it down,” he said. “But it just didn’t work. We have to be better, individually. Me, I have to be shooting more. Some guys have to realize when it’s time to shoot and when to pass. It’s not one guy on the power play, it’s five guys.”

The majority of the Bruins are under contract (with the notable exceptions of RFA goalie Tuukka Rask and UFA centers Chris Kelly and Gregory Campbell) and expected to return next season.

And while some change in personnel during the off-season is bound to happen, Peter Chiarelli, Bruins vice president and general manager, said the club is in a strong position to regain the Stanley Cup.

“To me, we can go after the Cup next year,” he said.

“From the makeover perspective, certainly we’re not going to do anything to make over this team. You hear me talk about the parity in this league and our first-round loss in seven games this year can be another Stanley Cup final next year. It’s that close,” he said.

“I’d like to maybe look at a forward to bolster our top nine. I just want to look at the trade market and the free agent market. But on the major-change front, I’m not looking at doing anything on that front. But I would like to add some pieces.”